Losing a lovely lady

Duller just called to tell me we lost a dear friend. Barbara was a no-nonsense lady, but sweet as she could be. For the past few days, she has been on my mind. Now I know why. I wish we had known she was ill. Apparently, she went to the hospital on Wednesday and passed away on Friday. I hope some of y'all will have a minute to click for the rest of the (very short) article. She was a fascinating woman and a true Lady. We are so going to miss her.

Former Shores Mayor Heller dies
By ANDREW GANT, Staff writer
August 8, 2010 12:05 AM

Barbara J. Heller, a retired college professor who rubbed elbows with the Eisenhowers and worked with dozens of volunteer organizations, has died, a close friend said Saturday.

Heller, who served on the City Council for years before she became mayor, died Friday morning at the age of 86. She fell ill a short time before her death, according to her friend and attorney, Mary Hansen.

"She was absolutely the most ethical person I ever met," Hansen said of the former mayor. "I found her to be a role model for me."

Heller lost her first bid for political office when she ran for Volusia County Council in 1980 but became a Shores councilwoman in 1987.

For years she volunteered in the area as she served on the council, and she had a sign in her front yard (it read "Heller High Water"), promising to solve residents' problems even if hell or high water broke loose.

Heller took the oath as the city's 17th mayor (and its second female mayor) in 1996, at the age of 71.

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